Ann McCulloch

Associate Professor Ann McCulloch, PhD, teaches Literary studies at Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia. Her most recent book was Dance of the Nomad: A Study of the Selected Notebooks of A. D. Hope. She is the director and writer of a documentary series on Hope and many articles on his life and work. Ann McCulloch’s book on the works of Patrick White and Nietzsche heralded her original interest in tragedy and theory. She has written and produced twelve theatrical productions including two plays The Odyssey Enflamed and Let Gypsies Lie. Ann McCulloch is Executive Editor of the online journal Double Dialogues and co-convener of associated international conferences. As Coordinator of ‘Creative Discursive Strategies Net-work’ her current interests focus on how the Arts serve as ‘problem solvers’ in relation to social issues and has published widely on ‘Depression and its Expression’ and environmental issues.  Ann McCulloch is currently working on four books with Ron Goodrich, John Forrest and Paul Monaghan respectively: ‘Nietzsche and Australian Writers’; ‘The Writing Workshops of Christina Stead’; ‘Poetry and Painting: The interface between Text and Images’ and ‘The Anatomy of Poetics’.

Dance of the Nomad »

A Study of the Selected Notebooks of A.D.Hope

Authored by: Ann McCulloch
Publication date: November 2010
The notebooks of A. D. Hope are a portrait of the contradictory essence of the poet’s intellect and character. Shot through with threads of self-awareness and revelation, Hope imbued his notebooks with irony and humour, forming them as a celebration of the joy and terror of human existence. Stripped of intimate revelation, the entries give witness to Hope’s view that art is a superior force in the creation of new being and values, and a guide for the conduct of our lives. Seeking to find pathways through the maze of an intellectual life, this is a profound and timely contribution to Australia’s literary scholarship. Ann McCulloch’s analysis of this thematic selection of Hope’s notebooks reveals him to be relentless in his experimentation with ideas. Revealing the originality of his thinking and the astonishing range of his reading and interests, this edition is a testament to the intellect of one of Australia’s towering literary figures.